Models of computation for reactive control of autonomous mobile robots

The paper studies computation models for tasks performed by autonomous mobile robots. Such tasks can be accomplished by reactive control algorithms. Reactive control systems can be described using different models of computation which have as distinguishing feature the abstraction level of time. Thus, three computation models are defined: the untimed model, the synchronous model and the timed model. It is shown that the clocked-synchronous model of computation is more appropriate for describing the controller for a parallel parking task.

► Study of computation models for reactive controllers of mobile robots.
► Each reactive controller is equivalent to a rule base.
► Reactive controllers can be represented with the use of automata or Petri nets.
► The untimed, synchronous and timed computation model are defined.
► The clocked-synchronous model of computation is appropriate for describing a reactive controller that automates the vehicles parallel parking task.